Category: Business Trends

Why Is The World Afraid Of AI? The Fears Are Unfounded, And Here’s Why.

This week we saw another flurry of panic about AI. Elon Musk and a number of senior researchers wrote a letter asking the world to “slow down” for six months before advancing GPT4 (published by The Future of Life Institute). Goldman Sachs published a note that claims 300 million jobs will be affected by ... Read more»

The Churning US Labor Market… And Why We Need “Labor Anthropologists.”

While I’m not formally trained as an economist, I spend so much time with companies HR departments I feel like we are “micro-economics” experts. So in a confusing time of paradoxical data (low unemployment during growing layoffs), let me explain what’s happening.

The US Labor Market Is A Churning Engine

While it’s tempting to think ... Read more»

Labor Shortage In The Middle Of A Business Slowdown? It All Makes Sense.

Why do we have a labor shortage as we enter an economic slowdown? It’s an interesting paradox.

For the first time I can remember we’re entering a global economic slowdown yet the unemployment rate has dropped to the lowest it’s been in 53 years (3.4%)  There is a shortage of people to take the jobs ... Read more»

Were All These Layoffs Inevitable? Perhaps, But Here’s How It Happened.

As most of you know, the technology industry has laid off more than 200,000 people in the last six weeks and each week we see more (this week it was Intel, Paypal, Splunk, and Pinterest). So let me ask an important question: were all these layoffs inevitable?

Well in order to answer this question we ... Read more»

Predictions for 2023: Redefining Work, The Workforce, And HR

Every year for 25 years I’ve tried to write Predictions for the year ahead. And this year, like none before, I think it’s time for something big. As you will read about in this newest report, we are entering a year which may redefine almost everything. Not to be dramatic, but when was ... Read more»

Understanding Chat-GPT, And Why It’s Even Bigger Than You Think (*updated)

Everyone has an opinion about Chat-GPT and AI. Engineers and entrepreneurs see it as a new frontier: a bold new world to invent products, services, and solutions. Social scientists and journalists are worried, with one prominent NYT author Ezra Klein calling it an “information warfare machine.” What has god wrought?

Let me just say up ... Read more»

Doing More With Less: Kill Meetings, Consider The Four-Day Work Week

The time has come: new research shows that workers want “less work,” and only feel ambitious when their work-life balance is in tact. In other words, the days of “striving to get ahead” are being replaced with a new pragmatic workforce attitude: “I will work hard as long as I’m paid for it.”

Research ... Read more»

2023: Business Volatility With Slower Growth… And Books I Loved This Year

2022 was a tumultuous year. High inflation, an overdue stock market correction, and continued increase in interest rates. Most CEOs see a slowdown ahead and so do I.

In January we will publish our annual Predictions report, so in this article I want to share perspectives and give you my favorite books to read next ... Read more»

Banking Under Siege: The Secrets To Digital Success In Financial Services

The banking industry is hot again: interest rates are rising, people are spending money, and consumers want a more integrated, digital-first relationship with their provider. For consumer and commercial banks, however, the last decade has been traumatic. Everyone from Apple to Walmart to Google to Mastercard wants to take their business away. And new Buy ... Read more»

What I Learned From The King and Queen Of The Netherlands

People have been talking about the future of work for decades, and it’s always an interesting, controversial, and complicated topic. Well, this week I spoke at a very unique event in Europe that gives us new ideas how to address this large and complex issue.

On November 23 I was honored to address the King ... Read more»

Understanding The Tech Layoffs. Could They Have Been Prevented?

Time to talk about layoffs, a topic nobody likes. And while you may consider layoffs a “case of bad management,” let me convince you otherwise. In some sense they’re just a fact of life, and often we simply need them. Here is my argument.

The Growth Cycle Of A Business

Companies, like people, go through ... Read more»

The Story Behind The Book: Irresistible, Launching Now

This week we officially launch Irresistible, a book that has been in development for more than seven years. It’s a leadership, management, and HR book filled with stories, tips, and best practices from years of my research, consulting, and meetings with business leaders around the world. (News release here.)

Let me tell ... Read more»